Miniaturized fluid delivery and analysis system
The present invention provides a method for combining a fluid delivery system with an analysis system for performing immunological or other chemical of biological assays. The method comprises a miniature plastic fluidic cartridge containing a reaction chamber with a plurality of immobilized species, a capillary channel, and a pump structure along with an external linear actuator corresponding to the pump structure to provide force for the fluid delivery. The plastic fluidic cartridge can be configured in a variety of ways to affect the performance and complexity of the assay performed.
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This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/437,046, filed May 14, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the InventionThis invention relates to a system comprising a fluid delivery and analysis cartridge and an external linear actuator. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for carrying out various processes, including screening, immunological diagnostics, DNA diagnostics, in a miniature fluid delivery and analysis cartridge.
Recently, highly parallel processes have been developed for the analysis of biological substances such as, for example, proteins and DNA. Large numbers of different binding moieties can be immobilized on solid surfaces and interactions between such moieties and other compounds can be measured in a highly parallel fashion. While the sizes of the solid surfaces have been remarkably reduced over recent years and the density of immobilized species has also dramatically increased, typically such assays require a number of liquid handling steps that can be difficult to automate without liquid handling robots or similar apparatuses.
A number of microfluidic platforms have recently been developed to solve such problems in liquid handling, reduce reagent consumptions, and to increase the speed of such processes. Examples of such platforms are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,856,174 and 5,922,591. Such a device was later shown to perform nucleic acid extraction, amplification and hybridization on HIV viral samples as described by Anderson et al, “Microfluidic Biochemical Analysis System”, Proceeding of the 1997 International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators, Tranducers '97, 1997, pp. 477-480. Through the use of pneumatically controlled valves, hydrophobic vents, and differential pressure sources, fluid reagents were manipulated in a miniature fluidic cartridge to perform nucleic acid analysis.
Another example of such a microfluidic platform is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,589 where the use of centripetal force is used to pump liquid samples through a capillary network contained on compact-disc liquid fluidic cartridge. Passive burst valves are used to control fluid motion according to the disc spin speed. Such a platform has been used to perform biological assays as described by Kellog et al, “Centrifugal Microfluidics: Applications,” Micro Total Analysis System 2000, Proceedings of the uTas 2000 Symposium, 2000, pp. 239-242. The further use of passive surfaces in such miniature and microfluidic devices has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,020 for the control of fluid in micro-scale devices.
An alternative to pressure driven liquid handling devices is through the use of electric fields to control liquid and molecule motion. Much work in miniaturized fluid delivery and analysis has been done using these electro-kinetic methods for pumping reagents through a liquid medium and using electrophoretic methods for separating and perform specific assays in such systems. Devices using such methods have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,112, U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,544, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,804.
Other miniaturized liquid handling devices have also been decribed using electrostatic valve arrays (U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,944), Ferrofluid micropumps (U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,970), and a Fluid Flow regulator (U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,467).
The use of such miniaturized liquid handling devices has the potential to increase assay throughput, reduce reagent consumption, simplify diagnostic instrumentation, and reduce assay costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe system of the invention comprises a plastic fluidic device having at least one reaction chamber connected to pumping structures through capillary channels and external linear actuators. The device comprises two plastic substrates, a top substrate and a bottom substrate containing capillary channel(s), reaction chamber(s), and pump/valve chamber(s)—and a flexible intermediate interlayer between the top and bottom substrate which provides providing a sealing interface for the fluidic structures as well as valve and pump diaphragms. Passive check valve structures are formed in the three layer device by providing a means for a gas or liquid to flow from a channel in the lower substrate to a channel in the upper substrate by the bending of the interlayer diaphragm. Furthermore flow in the opposite direction is controlled by restricting the diaphragm bending motion with the lower substrate. Alternatively check valve structures can be constructed to allow flow from the top substrate to the bottom substrate by flipping the device structure. Pump structures are formed in the device by combining a pump chamber with two check valve structures operating in the same direction. A hole is also constructed in the lower substrate corresponding to the pump chamber. A linear actuator—external to the plastic fluidic device—can then be placed in the hole to bend the pump interlayer diaphragm and therefore provide pumping action to fluids within the device. Such pumping structures are inherently unidirectional.
In one embodiment the above system can be used to perform immunoassays by pumping various reagents from an inlet reservoir, through a reaction chamber containing a plurality of immobilized antibodies or antigens, and finally to an outlet port. In another embodiment the system can be used to perform assays for DNA analysis such as hybridization to DNA probes immobilized in the reaction chamber. In still another embodiment the device can be used to synthesize a series of oligonucleotides within the reaction chamber. While the system of the invention is well suited to perform solid-phase reactions within the reaction chamber and provide the means of distributing various reagents to and from the reaction chamber, it is not intended to be limited to performing solid-phase reactions only.
The system of the invention is also well suited for disposable diagnostic applications. The use of the system can reduce the consumables to only the plastic fluidic cartridge and eliminate any cross contamination issues of using fixed-tipped robotic pipettes common in high-throughput applications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The system of the invention comprises a plastic fluidic cartridge and a linear actuator system external to the fluidic cartridge.
Upper substrate 21 and lower substrate 22 of the plastic fluidic cartridge of the invention can be constructed using a variety of plastic materials such as, for example, polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), Polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC). In the case of optical characterization of reaction results within a reaction chamber, upper substrate 21 is preferably constructed out of a transparent plastic material. Capillaries, reaction chambers, and pump chambers can be formed in upper substrate 21 and lower substrate 22 using methods such as injection molding, compression molding, hot embossing, or machining. Thicknesses of upper substrate 21 and lower substrate 22 are suitably in, but not limited to, the range of 1 millimeter to 3 millimeter in thickness. Flexible interlayer 23 can be formed by a variety of polymer and rubber materials such as latex, silicone elastomers, polyvinylchloride (PVC), or fluoroelastomers. Methods for forming the features in interlayer 23 include die cutting, rotary die cutting, laser etching, injection molding, and reaction injection molding.
Linear actuator 24 of the present invention, as depicted in
The plastic fluidic cartridge, as shown in
According to the present invention, the plastic fluidic cartridge need not be configured as a single-fluid delivery and analysis device.
Furthermore, the reactions performed with the plastic fluidic cartridge of the invention need not be limited to reactions performed in stationary liquids.
The system of the present invention can also be used to perform DNA hybridization analysis. Using the plastic cartridge of
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the invention may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1-11. (canceled)
12. A method of performing immunological assays of a fluid sample comprising a plurality of bio-molecules at unknown concentrations, comprising the steps of:
- (a) placing said fluid sample into a sample reservoir defined in a fluidic cartridge;
- (b) placing a wash buffer in a wash buffer reservoir defined in said fluidic cartridge;
- (c) providing an air purge reservoir in said fluidic cartridge that remains empty to provide air purging;
- (d) placing a secondary antibody conjugate in an antibody reservoir defined in said fluidic cartridge;
- (e) placing a substrate solution specific to a secondary antibody conjugate in a substrate reservoir defined in said fluidic cartridge;
- (f) pumping, by a pump structure, each of said fluid sample, said wash buffer, said substrate solution, and said secondary antibody conjugate to a waste reservoir through a first reaction chamber;
- (g) providing a second reaction chamber for negative control and isolating said second reaction chamber from said fluid sample of said first reservoir by a check valve; and
- (h) confirming results of immunoassay by optical measurements.
13. The method, as recited in claim 12, wherein the step (f) further comprises the steps of:
- (f-1) pumping said fluid sample from said sample reservoir to said first reaction chamber until said fluid sample at least partially fills said first reaction chamber;
- (f-2) pumping said fluid sample from said first reaction chamber to said waste reservoir after a first predetermined reaction time;
- (f-3) pumping, one or more times, said wash buffer from said wash buffer reservoir into said waste reservoir via said first reaction chamber;
- (f-4) pumping said secondary antibody conjugate from said antibody reservoir into said first reaction chamber;
- (f-5) pumping said secondary antibody conjugate from said first reaction chamber to said waste reservoir after a second predetermined reaction time;
- (f-6) pumping said substrate solution from said substrate reservoir into said first reaction chamber; and
- (f-7) pumping said substrate solution from said first reaction chamber to said waste reservoir after a third predetermined reaction time and at least partially filling said first reaction chamber with said wash buffer from said wash buffer reservoir.
14. The method, as recited in claim 13, wherein said pump structure comprises a plurality of pumps and wherein said sample reservoir, said wash buffer reservoir, said air purge reservoir, said substrate reservoir, and said antibody reservoir is each connected to at least one pump in said plurality of pumps for pumping said fluid sample, said wash buffer, said substrate solution, and said secondary antibody conjugate through said first reaction chamber to said waste reservoir respectively.
15. The method, as recited in claim 13, wherein said sample reservoir is a circulation reservoir and said pump structure is connected to said circulation reservoir to provide a continuous and repeated circulation of fluid, circulating from said circulation reservoir to said first reaction chamber and returning to said circulation reservoir, so that said fluid sample, said wash buffer, said substrate solution and said secondary antibody conjugate are capable of being circulated through said first reaction chamber without stopping.
16. The method, as recited in claims 13, 14 or 15, wherein said reservoir, said wash buffer reservoir, said air purge reservoir, said substrate reservoir, and said antibody reservoir is each connected to said first reaction chamber by one or more channels of capillary dimensions, wherein said fluidic cartridge includes a first substrate, a second substrate and an flexible intermediate interlayer sealedly interfaced between said first substrate and said second substrate to form therein said sample reservoir, said wash buffer reservoir, said air purge reservoir, said substrate reservoir, said antibody reservoir, said one or more channels, and said reaction chamber, and wherein said fluidic cartridge further provides a fluid flow controlling structure therein to restrict a flow of said fluid sample, said wash buffer, said substrate solution, and said second antibody conjugate through said first reaction chamber via said one or more channels in one direction only.
17. The method, as recited in claim 16, wherein in said pumping step (f), said fluid sample, said wash buffer, said substrate solution, and said secondary antibody conjugate are respectively pumped by pumping actions in a plurality of pump chambers, wherein said plurality of pump chambers are defined in said fluidic cartridge and said pumping actions are provided by a plurality of linear actuators so as to pump said fluid sample, said wash buffer, said substrate solution, and said secondary antibody conjugate to flow from said sample reservoir, said wash buffer reservoir, said air purge reservoir, said substrate reservoir, and said antibody reservoir through said first reaction chamber via said one or more channels.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 16, 2006
Publication Date: Jan 25, 2007
Applicant:
Inventors: James Webster (Hsinchu), Ping Chang (Hsinchu), Shaw-Tzuv Wang (Hsinchu), Chi-Chen Chen (Hsinchu), Rong-I Hong (Hsinchu)
Application Number: 11/505,762
International Classification: B01L 3/02 (20060101);